Facelift: Info, Prices, Photos, Reviews, Q&A

Thermage CPT has improved over old Thermage technology

Thermage CPT offers more uniform heating and better cooling as well as added comfort due to the different levels of vibration that distract from the heat of the tip of the handpiece. The vibration option is turned off for eye treatments.

While the amount of time required to treat an area remains the same, it is much more tolerable with more noticeable results, possibly due to patients being able to tolerate a higher setting with the CPT.

Results can take up to 6 months, but I noticed with the CPT there is a more noticeable immediate tightening post treatment. Results can vary from person to person and may require more than one treatment.

As with every treatment, make sure you are a good candidate and that you know what to expect. This is a noninvasive procedure with no downtime, so you won’t have a dramatic result. (Steven H. Williams, MD, San Francisco Plastic Surgeon)

Thermage CPT is much better

Many patients treated with the Thermage CPT have referred their friends, a sure sign of patient satisfaction.

What makes the CPT better are the newly designed tips. They have a more even delivery of the RF energy but mainly have the capacity to deliver far more pulses of energy than the old tips.

Whereas a typical full face Thermage treatment with the old device consisted of about 300 pulses, the new tips deliver 900 pulses. The new tips also vibrate, which lessens discomfort to the point where none of our patients require sedation before their treatment.

It is very rare that a technology improves so dramatically from one device generation to the next but this is definitely the case with the CPT. Like many of my other colleagues, I believe that the “worth it” rating for Thermage will increase as more patients experience the newer device. (Arie Benchetrit, MD, Montreal Plastic Surgeon)

Thermage CPT Works

And I wish I could control that. If I could everyone would get a wow result. The results take time, and can take 6 months to see the final result. The challenge with this is you have to look back at your original photos to compare.

Some of the most dramatic pictures I have seen the patient does not remember where they started. It is not a facelift and I don’t compare it one. I will typically combine BOTOX and Filllers to enhance the results.

If you have a deep Naso Labial Fold not even a facelift will not take it out completely. So if you have little to no downtime and don’t need a facelift then Thermage is an option.

Thermage CPT makes a night and day difference in patient comfort. 80 to 90% easier. We were featured on the Thermage illumination tour and did a live treatment on TV, and can be seen on You Tube.

So it does work. It comes down to what your needs are? What your expectations are? (it is not a facelift, it is non surgical skin tightening) How much downtime you have? Do you need fillers or BOTOX with it? Are you willing to accept that is does not work for everyone?(it does have a good sucess rate) Then Thermage CPT can be right for you. (Eugene Nowak, DO, Chula Vista Dermatologic Surgeon)

Thermage and Expectations

Thermage has always been a moderate skin tightening treatment, it has improved significantly since I began using it in 2004, shortly after FDA approval. It is not comparable to plastic surgery yet it is a safe and effective alternative for those not yet ready for the bigger procedures.

Some never want surgery and are very content with what Thermage can give them. Thermage should be repeated every year or two, skin laxity continues and treatment should be repeated (even a facelift will not last forever).

Patient satisfaction is related to goals and expectations. Find a candid, honest physician with significant Thermage experience to help you set appropriate expectations and you will be very happy with results. (Susan Van Dyke, MD, Paradise Valley Dermatologic Surgeon)

Thermage works but it is not surgery

Thermage absolutely works and can produce beautiful, natural looking results. It tightens the collagen fibers in the skin. The outcome you will have depends on the condition of your skin before Thermage CPT.

Younger patients with less sun damage and who don’t smoke are going to have better results because their skin is in better shape to begin with.

If a patient is older and has sun damaged skin, the starting point for that patient is worse and therefore the results will not be as significant. Thermage works best for the eyes and face, and the results for the neck are more unpredictable.

I believe that this is because the neck is typically more sun-damaged and the skin is thinner. All procedures have their pros and cons. Thermage is not surgery, therefore one cannot expect the degree of tightening that you get with a surgical procedure.

However, with Thermage CPT there is no downtime — most patients have no redness and no swelling and can go immediately back to work or social activities. Many patients want just a little tightening but don’t need surgery yet, and Thermage allows them to perhaps postpone surgery for a few more years.

Thermage also costs a fraction of what surgery costs. It is important to have a detailed consultation with your physician, to fully explain your expectations and have all of your options explained to you. Only then can you make a decision about what is right for you. (Jordana S. Gilman, MD, Washington Dermatologic Surgeon)

You need to ask who says something is great. Is it the physician themselves? You first need to make sure the surgeon your are seeing is really a plastic surgeon and is board certified. Lets start there.

There are dermatologist and physicians out there that have thermage or other non invasives as their sole mode of facial rejuvenation. So you have to be aware. I am not saying that everyone that comes into the office needs surgery but you need to see a plastic surgeon who offers both modalities so that you can have the proper pros and cons presented to you. (Farbod Esmailian, MD, Orange County Plastic Surgeon)

Ultherapy vs. Thermage for the face and neck

I have found more consistent results with Ultherapy in the correction of loose tissue on the neck and face. I use the Ultherapy procedure as an UltraLift procedure that does not require surgery. (Raffy Karamanoukian, MD, FACS, Los Angeles Plastic Surgeon)

Thermage does work

Thermage CPT has a bad reputation for not working. I think this has to do with a number of factors. To begin with, the early machines and tips were not nearly as effective as the latest generation of tips and machines.

Secondly, it has been oversold to people that are not great candidates and have too much loss of elasticity or gravitational changes.

Lastly, there is a bit of technique involved to increase the probability for a good result and much of that has to do with pushing the energy more to get better thermal contraction of the tissue.

Personally, having done it for almost 10 years on hundreds of patients and getting a 90 percent success of decent tightening I would tell you that it has to hurt a bit to consistently work. This is one reason I prefer to perform the procedure myself.

Although Ulthera is the “new kid on the block” and is getting a lot of publicity, the new thermage total tip goes as deep to tighten tissue. Many physicians are coming back to thermage for more consistent results.

While tightening within the first few months is the goal, I have seen thermage do an excellent job in prevention. This is an under appreciated but very important benefit if it helps delay the need for a facelift.

But, it is very important to determine who is truly the right candidate so that the money is well spent. (David Amron, MD, Beverly Hills Dermatologic Surgeon)

Thermage works but within realistic parameters

Thermage CPT works in all patients but it depends on the user and techniques involved. There are clinical studies to support that it creates new collagen in all patients. I am so happy that someone asked this question! Thermage works but of course it does not work as well as face lift.

The key to getting the right results is patient selection and expectation. You cannot expect it to be the same results as a face lift. Nor is it a substitute for a face lift. However, if you have good skin tone and turgor and you want a non-surgical alternative then you are a good candidate and will be pleased with the results.

The procedure takes atleast 90 minutes and a certain amount of heat must be applied. I also believe it to be very user-dependent and like all lasers depends on the skill of the person performing the procedure.

I have been very pleased with the results for the right patients. (Michele S. Green, MD, New York Dermatologist)

Thermage works!

I do not receive any financial compensation from any company, nor am I on any scientific advisory boards for any of the companies who own Thermage or its competitors. Since 2003, I have tested many non-invasive and minimally invasive technologies that have been invented for skin tightening.

I am a board-certified dermatologist and I have talked with many plastic surgeons in the Atlanta area to discuss an ideal approach for individual patients..non-invasive or invasive. There is no question that Thermage is the appropriate choice for the proper candidate…a patient who does not want surgery, or a patient with mild to moderate laxity, or a patient who does not want to look different..”just better”. The patient should not have severe jowls, or severe fat rolls under the chin.

Also, I think Thermage CPT can be used on any skin type that has mild to moderate laxity and jowls. I also agree that Thermage works well on the abdomen and thighs to tighten laxity there too.

I also agree that Thermage will only modestly tighten very thin skin. However, if this thinned skin patient is planning on re-volumizing their face with injectable fillers, I like to perform Thermage first, to, as I like to explain to the patient, “tighten the canvas”. (Christine Glavey, MD (retired), Alpharetta Dermatologic Surgeon)